Tapioca is made from the root of a plant called cassava, or yuca. In its natural form, it is poisonous, and must be treated to remove the toxins. After treatment, it is processed into several forms: powder, flakes, sticks or small round pearls. It is used for many purposes, the most popular being making tapioca pudding. (I love tapioca pudding!)

Tapioca is also commonly used as a thickening agent. Mostly in soups, fruit pie fillings, and sauces. It can be used to thicken almost anything because tapioca itself has very little taste of it's own. It also almost completely protein and gluten free. Gluten sensitive people often use tapioca flour in their baking.

I wanted to experiment with tapioca, so I bought some from Amazon. I tried a few recipes that I found on the internet. It really is pretty amazing stuff and very easy to cook.

I really did not find many recipes that take advantage of tapioca so I decided to make my own. Tapioca, since it does not have much taste, can be used to make a creamy, delicious dessert in almost any flavor you want.To this recipe, you can add just about anything you want to flavor it. I have tried many variations such as:

Stir often for 20-25 minutes while cooking till tapioca is clear and the water is thickened.

Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

Add condensed milk, stirring to combine. (you can use regular milk, but it will not be as thick or as sweet)

To this recipe, you can add just about anything you want to flavor it. I have tried many variations such as:

diced apples and cinnamon

pureed bananas and honey

cocoa powder and slivered almonds

maple syrup and toasted granola

crushed pinapple and shredded coconut

apple sauce and cherries

pureed oranges and mango

If you don't like the lumpy consistency of the tapioca pearls, you can puree them in a blender with the sweetened condensed milk, but it will foam, so be gentle.

If you want to use tapioca as a thickener, like for pie filling, soup or gravy, I would puree it so it will be smooth. The flavor is so mild, you usually cannot taste it at all. The calorie count and nutritional information is below:

courtesy of caloriecount.com

So now you are an authority on tapioca, and you will be all set if there is ever a Tapioca category on Jeopardy! All kidding aside, buy some tapioca pearls and give them a try, you will be surprised at the yummy, unique and delicious stuff you can make with it.

Have a great weekend!

Jade :)

This is a book that I picked up while experimenting with tapioca. There are some delicious recipes here, that are really easy to make. There are so many recipes you would never think would be made with Tapioca like: